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Adding to music from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake a sequence of disparate pieces by Einaudi, Morricone, and Elgar, Melbourne Ballet Company’s director and resident choreographer Simon Hoy has created a surprisingly integrated soundtrack to which he has choreographed a visually charming and often arresting ballet.  Melbourne Ballet Company’s version alters Rothbart, originally an evil magician, into the jealous spirit of the forest, and does differ from tradition in its choreography; but its storyline othrerwise resembles that of Swan Lake's classic productions.

It's remarkable what the relatively small cast of nine created in highly dynamic interactions between two, three, and five dancers.  There's genius at work in this choreography.  It renders the swans' nature more evident than traditionally and in the same way manages to make its storyline more apparent too, beautifully weaving elements of contemporary dance into largely classical dance in a seamless, fresh combination that makes for compelling watching.

Despite its brevity --- just an hour on stage --- this is a demanding work; and its dancers lived up to its demands.  Their strength, suppleness, and speed were admirable and created moments of intense beauty and fragility.  Adding to the emotional impact of all this were the superbly controlled lighting and several backdrop projections that not only provided far better context than a dark curtain but were beautiful in their own right.

John P. Harvey